Achieve the extraordinary, every day

Under the leadership of the Group CEO, the Executive Board implements the strategic guidelines and resolutions of the Board of Directors and leads Franke's business operations.

The operative structure of the Group is comprised of the Group functions Finance, Human Resources, Operations, Information Services, General Counsel, and the five divisions Franke Kitchen Systems, Faber Hoods & Cooking Systems, Franke Foodservice Systems, Franke Water Systems, and Franke Coffee Systems.

Thomas A. Erb, Chairman

Born 1945, Swiss citizen, member since 2005 - Thomas A. Erb led MBT Construction Chemicals (a division of SANDOZ AG, later part of SKW AG and Degussa AG), a global company specializing in construction chemicals. Previously, he was CEO in various European and Asian countries for around 20 years. Thomas A. Erb studied law at the University of Zurich, Switzerland, and business administration and management in Basel, Switzerland, and England.

Michael Pieper, Vice Chairman

Born 1946, Swiss citizen, member since 2013 - Michael Pieper is President/CEO of the Artemis Group. He has owned Franke since 1989 and managed the Group until 2012. Prior to that, Michael Pieper worked for several years in the USA in various management positions in banking. He is a member of the Board of Directors of several Swiss companies such as Forbo, Arbonia, Autoneum, Adval Tech, Rieter and Bergos Berenberg AG. Michael Pieper holds a master's degree in Business Administration from the University of St. Gallen, Switzerland.

Andreas Hauswirth, Non Executive Director

Born 1954, Swiss citizen, member since 2013 - Dr. Andreas Hauswirth joined the Franke Group as assistant to the Franke Group Executive Board. In 1994 he became a member of the Franke Group Executive Board and headed Corporate Services (legal services, insurance, risk management, communications, human resources and real estate) for almost 30 years before retiring in January 2017. Before Dr. Andreas Hauswirth joined Franke, he worked as a legal advisor for OBT Treuhand AG. He studied law at the University of Bern, Switzerland.

Patrick Naef, Non Executive Director

Born in 1965, Swiss citizen, member since 2018 - Patrick Naef is a consultant to organizations involved in the digitalization and coaching of IT executives. From 2006 to June 2018, he was CIO at Emirates Airline & Group in Dubai and, at the same time, a member of the board of directors of SITA, a global telecommunications and IT company owned by airlines. Patrick Naef was also CEO of mercator, a subsidiary of Emirates Group, from 2006 to 2014. Other professional positions include CIO at SIG and Swissair as well as senior positions at Zurich Insurance, HP and Bank Julius Baer. Patrick Naef sits on several boards of start-ups and on advisory boards of technology companies and venture capitalist firms in Silicon Valley. Patrick Naef holds a degree in Computer Science Engineering from ETH Zurich, Switzerland, and an Executive MBA from the University of St. Gallen, Switzerland.

Christian Mäder, Non Executive Director

Born 1969, Swiss citizen, Member 2015 - Christian Mäder joined the Artemis Group in May 2015 as CFO, where he is also responsible for the Artemis Real Estate Group as President/CEO. Prior to Artemis, he was CFO and member of the group management of the automation and logistics company Swisslog. He has also held various management positions with companies such as KPMG and Colenco (Motor-Columbus Group). Christian Mäder is a Swiss certified expert in accounting and controlling.

Alexander Pieper, Non Executive Director

Born 1983, Swiss citizen, member since 2018 - Alexander Pieper has been owner and managing director of the Swiss company Kraftwerk since April 2016. Kraftwerk operates internationally in the tool industry. Prior to that, he worked for over ten years in various management positions at the Franke Group in Switzerland, the USA, the Philippines and Germany, most recently as Managing Director of a subsidiary in the United Arab Emirates. Alexander Pieper has been a member of the Artemis Group Board of Directors since 2015 and has a background in industrial engineering.

Dr. Michael Reinhard, Non Executive Director

Born 1956, German-Swiss double citizen, member since 2018 - Dr. Michael Reinhard retired after 12 years with Geberit, where he was responsible for the Group Divisions Sales, Products and Operations as a member of the Group Executive Board between 2005 and 2017. Prior to this, Dr. Michael Reinhard held various management positions at Schott Glas and McKinsey & Company, among others. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the Swiss companies Reichle & De-Massari AG and Georg Utz Holding AG. Dr. Michael Reinhard studied mechanical engineering at the Technical University of Darmstadt, Germany.

Michael Soormann, Non Executive Director

Born 1958, German citizen, member since 2013 - Dr. Michael Soormann heads the Artemis Asset Management Group. He previously worked as Head of Finance and Administration at MBT Bautechnik GmbH and MBT (Schweiz) AG, later as Managing Director of MBT (Schweiz) AG and BASF Construction Chemicals (Schweiz) AG. Michael Soormann studied economics at the University of Kiel, Germany.

Born in 1964, Swiss, with Franke since 2018 – Before joining Franke, Patrik Wohlhauser was CEO at Wittur Holding GmbH, a global leading manufacturer and supplier of components for elevator construction. For the 15 years prior to that, he had various management roles at Evonik and Degussa respectively, including Head of the Business Units Construction Systems Europe and Exclusive Synthesis & Catalysts. In 2011, Patrik Wohlhauser was appointed to the Executive Board of Evonik Industries AG with responsibility fo the Consumer, Health & Nutrition segment. In 2014, as Chief Operating Officer (COO), he assumed responsibility for the entire chemical business. Prior to his time at the leading German global industrial group for specialty chemicals, he worked for Sandoz International AG and MBT Schweiz AG. Patrik Wohlhauser holds a master's degree in Business Administration from the University of Freiburg, Switzerland.

Jürg Fischer, Chief Financial Officer

Born in 1959, Swiss, at Franke since 2005 – Before Jürg Fischer joined Franke, he had several management positions such as CFO at Habasit AG, Head of Finance and Admin at RAG Reichenberger AG, Group Controller at Siber Hegner and internal Auditor and Group Leader at Sandoz AG. Jürg Fischer holds a master's degree in Business Administration from the University of St. Gallen, Switzerland.

Roger Basler, President/CEO Franke Water Systems

Born in 1965, Swiss, at Franke since 2013 – Before Roger Basler came to Franke, he was President & CEO for all of Heineken's activities in Switzerland. Earlier, he worked as Managing Director Europe at Dyson Limited UK and as Managing Director at Red Bull AG Switzerland as well as in various management positions at Compaq Computer (Schweiz) GmbH and Kraft Jacobs Suchard. Roger Basler studied Business Administration at the University of St. Gallen, Switzerland.

Markus Bierl, Chief Information Officer

Born in 1964, German/American, at Franke since 2001 – Markus Bierl worked for Franke in US since 2001. During this time, he took on various managerial functions, most recently as CIO of Franke Foodservice Systems. Before Markus Bierl joined Franke, he worked in IT consulting and software development for international clients such as McDonald's, Mövenpick, EAO, and Franke. Markus Bierl holds a master's degree in Business Engineering IT/OR at the University of Karlsruhe, Germany.

Thomas R. Campion, President/CEO Franke Foodservice Systems

Born in 1954, American, at Franke since 1986 – Thomas R. Campion joined Franke as a Remodel Sales Manager. In 1991 he became Vice President Sales & Marketing with a focus on the further development of McDonald's business in the US. In 1997, he was promoted to President of Franke Foodservice Systems Inc. and was appointed President/CEO Franke Foodservice Systems in 2013. Prior to his time at Franke, Thomas R. Campion worked in sales and project planning for various industrial manufacturing companies. Thomas R. Campion holds a bachelor's degree in Communication from Michigan State University in Lansing, Michigan, US.

Gianluca Mapelli, Chief Operating Officer

Born in 1970, Italian, at Franke since 2016 – In April 2016, Gianluca Mapelli joined Franke subsidiary Faber S.p.A in Fabriano, Italy, as Operations Director for Hoods. For 15 years prior to that, he had various management positions in Italy and China at Safilo, a leading eyewear manufacturer and one of the world's largest manufacturers of sunglasses and eyeglass frames, most recently as Plant Director. Before that, Gianluca Mapelli was in a managerial position at Otis Elevator in Italy. Gianluca Mapelli holds a master's degree in Aeronautical Engineering from the Polytechnic University of Milan, Italy.

Thomas P. Meier, President/CEO Franke Coffee Systems

Born in 1970, Swiss, at Franke since 2016 – Before Thomas P. Meier joined Franke, he held various key management roles at Lindt & Sprüngli, most recently as Managing Director Asia-Pacific. Before that he worked in various marketing and sales roles for Unilever and Novartis Nutrition. Thomas P. Meier holds a degree in Business Administration from the University of St. Gallen, Switzerland.

Beat Sigrist, Chief Human Resources Officer

Born in 1970, Swiss, at Franke since 2014 – Before joining Franke, Beat Sigrist worked at Sulzer as Head Corporate Human Resources and was a member of the Extended Executive Management Board. Beat Sigrist has many years of extensive HR experience, acquired in senior HR functions at various industrial and telecommunications companies, including Swisscom and Bosch. Beat Sigrist holds a master's degree in Business Administration from the University of St. Gallen, Switzerland.

Martin Wyser, General Counsel

Born in 1974, Swiss, at Franke since 2012 – Martin Wyser studied Law at the University of Zurich, Switzerland (lic. iur.) and gained his Master's Degree Graduated from Northwestern University School of Law (Chicago, US). After joining the bar, Martin Wyser worked for several years for one of Switzerland's leading international law firms.

Ettore Zoboli, President/CEO Faber Hoods & Cooking Systems

Born in 1958, Italian, at Franke since 2014 – Before Ettore Zoboli joined Franke, he worked for the German Kion Group, the world leader in forklift and warehousing solutions, where he was CEO of the Italian business for the OM and Still brands. Before that, Ettore Zoboli was CEO of Vimec, a European key player for home comfort solutions. Prior to Vimec, he worked for ten years in various positions at NACCO, an American conglomerate in the industrial sector. He was appointed CEO of EMEA for the Group brand Hyster. Ettore Zoboli studied Management and International Marketing at the University of Turin, Italy.